Tilting ladle



July 27, 1937.

L. A. CAMER'OTA TILTING LADLE s Sheets-She et 1 Filed July 20, 1935 WIfiVESSES:

INVENTOR: L0 5 :7. Came'mia 'July 27, 1937. Li A. CAMEROTA IILTING LADLE Filed July 20, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR: JZ Camerofiw,

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N US J ly 27, 1937. A. CAMEROTA TILTING LADLE Filed Jul 20, 1955. 5 Sheets-Sheet s g INVENTOR:

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Patented July 27, 1937 I satis- THLTING LADLE Louis A. Camerota, Burlington, N. 5., assignor to Florence Pipe Foundry & Machine Company, Florence, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application July 20, 1935,. Serial No. 32,321

4 Claims.

provision of a skimming device near the mouth of a ladle renders it difficult to maintain a uniform oreven flow of metal from the ladle to the pouring spout, it being important that the contents of the ladle shall flow smoothly over the pouring lip without surging or splashing.

Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a skimming device which satisfactorily skims the metal in its passage through the mouth of the ladle, and at the same time to form the mouth of the ladle in relation to the pouring spout insuch manner that the metal will flow evenly, without surging or splashing, as the ladle is tilted to discharge its contents. A more specific object of the invention is to provide a skimming device which is maintained out of contact with the metal content of the ladle except when the ladle is tilted, and which is adapted to be moved from an operative position at the mouth of the ladle to a position clear of the top thereof where it is readily accessible for cleaning.

Other objects and advantages characterizing my invention will become more fully apparent from the description hereinafter set forth of one example or embodiment thereof, having reference to the accompanying drawings. Of the drawings:

Fig. I represents a side elevation of a tilting ladle in its normal or upright position, a carriage for supporting the same, and a pouring ladle for 5 of the ladle and pouring spout, taken as indicated by the lines IVIV in Fig. II, showing the ladle in the position which it occupies when tilted.

With particular reference to Fig. I of the draw ings, there is shown a pouring assembly comprising generally a tiltable ladle i, a ladle carrying bracket 2 pivoted on spaced frame members 3, and a pouring spout d. The ladle is equipped at the mouth thereof with a skimming device which is comprehensively designated at 5. 7

While the particular means of mounting the ladle i for tilting movement about the frame members it may be varied to a considerable extent, I have selected for illustration a mounting of the type described in my pending application for U. S. Letters Patent; Serial No. 32 322,-filed July 20, 1935. In this arrangement the ladle carrying bracket 2 is provided with trunnions? at the top thereof whichengage bearings 8 Within the frame members 3. A pair of arms d'carrying the trunnions l are cross connected by a plate it; On the ladle i there are hook shaped gussets ll engaging the top edge of the transverse plate iiiof the ladle carrying bracket For attaching the ladle i firmly to the ladle carrying bracket 2, there is also provideda pair of hook shaped projections E2 on the bottom ends of the arms 9 which engage laterally extending pins 53 at the base ofthe ladle. The ladle is thus held by itsown weight upon the ladle carrying bracket 2, but is readily removable by raising it in a vertical direction which may be accomplished by applying lifting tackle to a bail M attached to the top of the ladle.

The pouring spout 4 has at its upper end a pair of laterally extendingv pins lli-whichare engagedbers 3 by bolts or the like, and in this manner the brackets are rendered vertically adjustable so that the end of the pouring spout may be positioned in the desired relation to the pouring lip IQ of the ladle i.

As most clearly shown in Figs. III and IV, the

ladle l of this invention has a forward inclined wall 253 and a rear wall 2i which is substantially. arcuate in cross section. At the mouth of the ladle the inclined walllii terminates in. a pouring lip id of special formation. It will be particu:

larly noted that the forward edge 22 of the lip I9 is substantially coincident with the axis of the trunnions l about which the ladle I is tilted, and accordingly the trough of the pouring spout i is substantially tangent to the upper curved surface of the lip I?! when the ladle begins to discharge its content. the curved portion of the lip ii) there is provided Immediately in the rear ofv r mold of the centrifugal casting machine. i tion and depression of the ladle I is accomplished a shoulder 24 which serves as a dam or weir, and which in connection with the skimming device hereinafter described serves to trap impurities in the metal.

The skimming device 6 comprises a blade in "engage a laterally projecting pin 3|, and thus serve as stops. When the arm 25 engages the pin 35, the blade 25 is maintained in a position within the mouth of the ladle with its bottom edge extending downwardly to a predetermined distance above the surface over which the metal is poured and at a predetermined distance in the rear of the shoulder 24. When the handle 28 is manipulated to swing the skimming device to a reverse position, as indicated in broken lines in Fig; IV, the arm 3|! engages the pin 3i and the skimming device is maintained outside the ladle in a position where it is accessible for cleaning.

In the illustrated example of my invention, the tiltable ladle I is mounted on a movable carriage 34 having wheels 35 engaging parallel rails 38. The carriage 3 5 isada'pted to be progressed back and forth on the rails 36 by means of a fluid operated cylinder 37, and in this manner the free end of the pouring spout i (not shown) is brought to a position within the end of the rotary Elevaby means of an additional fluid operated cylinder 38 pivoted at 39 on the'carriage 34. The plunger it} associated with the cylinder 38 is pivotally attached at 4| to the ladle carrying bracket 2.

Certain of the pipe connections through which movements, are not material to the present invention, and description thereof is here omitted.

Such mechanism is fully described, however, in my pending application for U. S. Letters Patent, referred to above, which is specifically directed to such a form of ladle carriage and operating mechanism for progressing the carriage and tilting the ladle.

With reference particularly to Fig. IV, it will be apparent that the mouth of the ladle l is specially formed to effect a uniform and smooth flow of metal from the ladle to the pouring spout 4, without surging or splashing. The curved portion of the lip l9 affords a ridge which, together with the bottom edge of the blade 25 positioned in the rear thereof, traps the flow of metal, and causes impurities to collect at the rear ofv said ridge and not to be carried over through the mouth of the ladle and the trough of the pouring spout. Not only is the surface of the metal skimmed by engagement with the blade 25, but

the flow is controlled, so that the stream does not splash or surge but passes smoothly over the lip of the ladle and from thence to the connecting spout 4. The positioning of the forward edge 22 of the lip of the ladle substantially coincident with the tilting axis, makes it possible to provide a very short gap between the mouth of the ladle and the end of the pouring spout so that the spout forms substantially a continuation of the pouring lip, and there is no appreciable drop in the flow of metal over the curved portion of the lip.

While Ihave described my invention in some detail, and have disclosed a particular form of mounting for a tilting ladle including a movable carriage, it will be apparent that the invention herein is directed particularly to the novel f ormation at the mouth of the ladle and the skimming device associated therewith, and numerous changes may be made in the form of the apparatus herein disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the anneXed claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. In combination with a pivotally mounted ladle of the character described, having a lip at the mouth thereof with its forward edge substantially coincident with the axis about which the ladle is pivoted for tilting, and having a dam formed immediately in the rear of said lip, a

2. In combination with a pivotally mounted.

ladle of the character described, having a lip at the mouth thereof smoothly curved and merging with a dam formed immediately in the rear of said lip, a skimming device having a blade movable from a predetermined operative position within the mouth of the ladle and in the rear of said dam, where it is adapted to skim the surface of the metal and to trap its impurities behind-said dam incident to discharge of the metal through the mouth of the ladle, to a position beyond the mouth of the ladle and to one side of the area overlying its metal content when at rest.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further characterized by a handle for swinging the blade of the skimming device from a position at the mouth of the ladle to a position outside the ladle and to one side of the area overlying its metal content when at rest, and means limiting the swinging movement of said handle.

i. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further characterized by a handle for swinging the blade of the skimming device from a position at the mouth of the ladle to a reverse position wherein the skimming edge of the blade extends upwardly outside the mouth of the ladle.

LOUIS A. CAMEROTA. 

